Communication in Team Settings

When I assess team dynamics, I never ask “what’s your communication process?” Instead, I ask:   - Who gets to disagree here? - Who offers the ‘obvious’ idea? - Who names the elephant in the room? - And who pushes things forward when no one’s ready? These aren’t personality traits but team conversation roles. And David Kantor’s research shows that high-performing teams cycle through 4 roles in real-time conversations: 1. Initiator - proposes direction 2. Supporter - builds on the idea 3. Challenger - tests assumptions 4. Observer - brings perspective But here’s what’s not obvious: These roles are not titles, archetypes, or fixed styles. They’re functions and they only show up when the team culture allows them. And that’s where 🧠 team psychological safety comes in. When it's high: - The Challenger dares to disagree without fear of judgment - The Observer can name what others avoid without being dismissed - The Supporter feels safe amplifying ideas, not just agreeing - And the Initiator doesn’t dominate out of silence, but lead within dialogue Because effective team communication isn’t about being present in the room and talking. It’s about ensuring the right mix of roles (!) shows up at the right time. P.S.: Which of these roles is missing (or overused) in your team? 📊 Studies: Kantor, 2012; Edmondson, 1999.

I have led or been part of nine Executive Teams in hotels and resorts worldwide. Different cultures, different sizes, different contexts. But no matter where I was, there was always one universal challenge: communication. It wasn’t about intelligence. It wasn’t about experience. It wasn’t even about effort. The biggest breakdowns—the ones that led to frustration, misalignment, and a lack of trust—always came back to how people communicated (or didn’t). Bernard Weber said it best: "Between what I think. what I want to say, what I believe I say, what I say, what you want to hear, what you believe to hear, what you hear, what you want to understand, what you think you understand, what you understand... There are ten possibilities that we might have some problem communicating." And that is exactly the issue. We assume that just because we said something, it was understood. That just because we explained something once, it is clear. That just because we meant something a certain way, it was received that way. But that’s rarely the case. Poor communication doesn’t just cause confusion. It creates frustration. It makes people feel unheard. It erodes trust. And when trust is gone, so is connection, alignment, and performance. So how do we fix this? First, by recognizing that communication is not just about speaking. It is about listening. The best leaders don’t just express their message, they check for clarity. Second, by setting the tone. If leadership communication is vague, reactive, or inconsistent, teams will mirror that. But when leaders communicate with clarity, intention, and presence, their teams do the same. And third, by making it safe to clarify. A workplace where people hesitate to ask, “What do you mean by that?” is a workplace that will always struggle with misalignment. This is the work I do with teams. Helping leaders refine how they communicate. Helping teams create cultures where people don’t just assume, they UNDERSTAND. Because the teams that communicate well? They are the teams that trust each other. And the teams that trust each other? They are the ones that perform at the highest level. What’s been your experience with communication challenges in leadership? Let’s talk. #conscioushospitality #leadership #hospitality #team #hotelier

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧" Years back, I watched a high-stakes project collapse—not because of bad ideas or lack of effort, but because people stopped talking to one another. Assumptions replaced facts. Silence bred suspicion. By the end, the team wasn’t just failing—it was fractured. That experience taught me a hard lesson: 𝐏𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧—𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓 In teams, relationships, and leadership, communication is the bridge between intention and impact. When it fails: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 – Unspoken expectations lead to misaligned efforts. Projects drag, deadlines slip, and frustration grows. 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 – Silence doesn’t just create gaps; it hardens them. People form biased perceptions that are hard to undo. 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 – Without clarity, suspicion takes root. Teams start asking, "What are they hiding?" instead of "How can we solve this?" 𝑻𝒉𝒆 3 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒔 (𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝑨𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩 "I’m not listening—I’m just waiting to respond." When communication becomes about winning arguments rather than solving problems, conflicts escalate. 𝗙𝗶𝘅: Pause. Ask, "What’s the goal here—victory or understanding?"* 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩 One-way directives with no room for dialogue. Short-term compliance might happen, but long-term engagement dies. 𝗙𝗶𝘅: Replace "Here’s what you need to do" with "What are your thoughts on how we move forward?"* 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐠𝐨 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩 Using words to assert dominance rather than foster collaboration. Condemnation breeds resentment—not results. 𝗙𝗶𝘅: Shift from "I’m right" to "Let’s figure this out together."* 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐬, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 Great communicators don’t just speak—they connect. Here’s how: ✅𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 – Ambiguity creates confusion. Directness (with empathy) creates alignment. ✅ 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 – The best solutions emerge when people feel heard. ✅ 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐲 – Leadership isn’t about having the last word; it’s about creating shared success. 𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 Reflect on a recent misunderstanding—was it truly about the issue, or the communication around it? How have you seen communication make—or break—a team? Share your stories below. 👇 Let’s learn from each other. #Leadership #Communication #Teamwork #EmotionalIntelligence

Tense. Awkward. Confrontational. And yet… that moment changed everything. I was once brought in to run a communication skills session for a global team. People from different countries, different time zones, different work cultures… all trying to build one product together. From the outside, they looked like a dream team. But once the session began, it became clear , something wasn’t right. Two senior team members were clearly not getting along. There was tension. Awkward silences. Eye rolls. One finally spoke up: “I keep asking for clear updates, and all I get are vague replies.” Another responded, a little hurt: “I thought I was being polite. I didn’t want to come across as too direct or rude.” That’s when it hit me: This wasn’t a performance issue. It was a communication style issue. So I stopped the session and did something simple , I introduced them to the idea of cultural communication styles: Some cultures are more direct , they say exactly what they mean. Some are more indirect , they soften their message to be respectful. In one part of the world, “We’ll try our best” means yes. In another, it might actually mean no , just said more politely. And suddenly… the room changed. They started laughing. One said, “So when you said that, you didn’t actually mean it was confirmed?” The other smiled, “No, it meant probably not , I just didn’t want to say no.” Everyone laughed. The air cleared. They began to understand each other. Not just work with each other. They didn’t need a team restructure. They needed a shared understanding of how they communicate. ⸻ 💡 The Learning: Most communication problems in global teams don’t come from ego. They come from cultural blind spots. It’s not about who’s right or wrong — it’s about knowing what the other person actually means when they speak. Soft skills like these aren’t “nice to have.” They’re the reason some global teams thrive — and others fall apart. ⸻ 💬 If your teams work across countries, cultures, and continents… Make sure they’re not speaking different languages in the same language. I help teams decode communication habits and build stronger, more culturally intelligent conversations. Let’s talk if your team could use that. #CommunicationMatters #CrossCulturalTraining #SoftSkillsForLeaders #GlobalTeams #ExecutivePresence #LeadershipDevelopment

You can never over-communicate. This is one of my core management principles. In leading any organization, no matter the size or structure, you must actively, intentionally, and repeatedly communicate. And I am not just talking about team emails or town halls, both of which are important. I am talking about communication in all forms—formal and informal, verbal and written, broadly transmitted and delivered one-on-one. We often think we've done "a lot" of communicating. But even when we feel like we've hit every channel and made every point clear, there's always someone out there who still feels in the dark or disconnected from the mission or message. This doesn’t mean you’ve failed—it means you're human, and so are your teammates. But it also means that there is always room for more connecting. Maybe you need to enlist other messengers? Maybe you need to re-examine your message or your delivery? Most people don't just want to have an understanding of what's going on—they want to know how they fit in. This is especially true in mission-driven organizations where financial compensation takes a back seat to intrinsic rewards. People want to feel like they matter and that their work contributes to something bigger than themselves. Your team can’t connect to the mission unless you tell them exactly what that mission is. And then tell them why that mission is important. And then tell them how important their roles are in that mission. And then tell them all of that again and again. Effective communication isn’t about repetition for repetition’s sake—it’s about connection, clarity, and culture-building. When you bring people along, they are not just doing the work—they’re owning the mission. So, yes, send that extra email, give the extra update, or pop into a team member’s office one more time. Chances are, someone wants to hear more about how they can help move your mission forward. #Communication #Leadership

The Power of Communication: Finding the Right Time and Place When working with a team, one of the most important goals I strive for is creating the optimal connection between the trainer, the staff, and the players. Communication is the glue that holds it all together. In a world driven by performance and surrounded by opinions and judgments, that glue needs to be strong. But communication isn’t just about delivering words or instructions. It’s about listening. It’s about understanding. Sometimes, it’s even about silence—knowing when to step back and simply let things be. I recall a situation when my team experienced a painful loss. Not because the opponent was better, but because we didn’t bring our full selves to the match. The sense of urgency to win just wasn’t there. For many coaches, the instinct after such a game is to immediately jump into action—reviewing match clips, calling urgent meetings, or delivering a direct talk to the team. But this time, we did something different. We let the loss sit. We gave the players space to process the game on their own without filling the silence with our voices. The next day, when we opened the floor to them, the players brought forward their own reflections and insights. They took ownership of the problem and found their own solutions. From that moment on, the urgency and hunger to win became something they carried, not something we imposed. This approach applies beyond moments of loss. During games, how we communicate must also be tailored to the personality and needs of each player: • For introverted players, too much last-minute input or sideline coaching can create stress and over-arousal. Preparing them well in advance and letting them focus during the game is often the best approach. • For extroverted players, timely coaching or encouragement during the game can sharpen their focus and give them an extra edge. Effective communication is powerful, but knowing when to speak and when to be silent is just as important. Sometimes, giving players the space to process, reflect, and problem-solve on their own can lead to growth that no words could ever achieve. In high-pressure environments, stress often pushes us into “action mode”—to do something, anything, right away. But sometimes, the best thing to do is nothing at all. Silence and space are powerful forms of communication. They allow for clarity, connection, and a sense of shared ownership that drives a team forward.

I've helped teams build stronger communication cultures. (sharing my proven framework today) Building open communication isn't complex. But it requires dedication. Daily actions. Consistent follow-through. Here's my exact process for fostering feedback culture: 1. Start with weekly 30-min team check-ins → No agenda, just open dialogue → Everyone speaks, no exceptions → Celebrate small wins first 2. Implement "feedback Fridays" → 15-min 1:1 sessions → Both positive and constructive feedback → Action items for next week 3. Create anonymous feedback channels → Digital suggestion box → Monthly pulse surveys → Clear response timeline 4. Lead by example (non-negotiable) → Share your own mistakes → Ask for feedback publicly → Show how you implement changes 5. Set clear expectations → Document feedback guidelines → Train on giving/receiving feedback → Regular reminders and updates 6. Follow up consistently → Track feedback implementation → Share progress updates → Celebrate improvements 7. Make it safe (absolutely crucial) → Zero tolerance for retaliation → Protect confidentiality → Reward honest feedback Remember: Culture change takes time. Start small. Build trust. Stay consistent. I've seen teams transform in weeks using these steps. But you must commit fully. Hope this helps you build stronger team communication. (Share if you found value) P.S. Which step resonates most with you? Drop a number below. #team #communication #workplace #employees

For many, having a remote team is THE setup. But underneath it all, it's also challenging. It's comfortable in the sense that: Your team doesn't have to commute. You don't need to pay for an office space. It sounds like a dream setup. And in many ways, it is. But being remote comes with real challenges: People get siloed. You can't "read the room" on Zoom or Slack. Delays happen because of timezone differences. So this makes it hard to: Get aligned. Gain momentum. Have consistency. Build connections. But it's not impossible. You just have to be intentional. Here are some of the things I've implemented: Complete communication ➝ When you message, give the full context. ➝ Include links to files or websites if needed. Over-communicate  ➝ Be transparent about what's going on. ➝ And ask them to do the same. Make time for team building ➝ 5-minute meeting mood boosters (We do this on Mondays). ➝ Schedule a virtual Christmas party. Meet up in person once a year ➝ Host an annual retreat or team meetup. ➝ Even a simple dinner goes a long way. Clarify response time expectations ➝ Don't assume people know when to reply. ➝ Define what "urgent" means in your team. Use async and sync tools—intentionally ➝ Async is great for deep work. ➝ Some things need a real-time call. Communication isn't harder in a remote team. It's just different—and requires more intention. Helpful?  ♻️Please share to help others. 🔎Follow Michael Shen for more. #RemoteTeamManagement #ManagingRemoteTeams #Communication

Yesterday, I learned a tough lesson about leadership. A client reached out with a Google Analytics issue. His emails were direct, detailed, and—to my team—came across as angry. Stress levels spiked. My team thought we had a major crisis on our hands. They spent the entire day trying to decipher his tone, worried about how to respond, and second-guessing every action. But here's the reality: The problem took 15 minutes to solve. So why did it consume an entire day and two team members' focus? Because I failed as a leader. I forgot to brief my team about the client's communication style. He's incredibly analytical and straight to the point—that's just who he is. Not upset, not frustrated—just precise. Without that context, my team misinterpreted his demeanor. They spent hours managing a non-existent issue rather than swiftly resolving the actual problem. My oversight didn't just cost us time; it cost us productivity and unnecessary stress. Here's what this experience taught me: Know Your Clients—and Share That Knowledge - Every client is different. Some are chatty, others are all business. It's crucial to share these insights with your team to prevent miscommunication. Effective Communication Is Proactive, Not Reactive - Don't wait for confusion to arise. Provide context upfront to empower your team to act confidently. Leadership Means Being the Bridge - As leaders, we connect our clients and our teams. It's our job to ensure both sides understand each other. I dropped the ball, but I’m grateful for the lesson. Today, we're implementing a brief "client profile" for each project so everyone is on the same page moving forward. Have you ever faced a situation where miscommunication led to bigger problems? I'd love to hear your stories and how you handled it. If you're interested in learning from real-world experiences (the good and the not-so-good), ring my 🔔 for more insights on the daily struggle(I love it) of running Spartan Digital Solutions LLC Let's connect and grow together. #LeadershipLessons #TeamCommunication #DigitalMarketing

Learn this if you want to transform your team communication: Your team members process information differently. Years ago, I made the wrong assumption. I assumed everyone processed information the way I did: By thinking things through quietly before speaking up. I was wrong. And it was costing my team their best ideas. Understanding this difference changed everything about how I led teams. There are two ways people process information, and most meetings only serve one type: Internal Processors ("Thinking to Talk"): → Review materials thoroughly before meetings → Prefer to prepare responses in advance → Contribute after reflection with polished insights External Processors ("Thinking to Think"): → Think through possibilities verbally → Refine thoughts while speaking → Jump into discussions naturally The breakthrough came when I started structuring meetings for both styles: ✅ Send agendas 48 hours early ✅ Include both reflection time and open discussion ✅ Ask specific people for input instead of waiting for volunteers ✅ Create space for both prepared thoughts and spontaneous ideas  My "quiet" team members started contributing game-changing insights, While my verbal processors helped refine and build on those ideas. Your team's best ideas might be trapped by your meeting style. Start transforming your leadership now: read.drdegnan.com